Automatic car-brake



(No Model.)

J. B. GATHRIGHT'.

AUTOMATIG GAR BRAKE. No. 323,659. Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

lflllzewea. JIZUIZiOIi w. QM 796 125; MM. 4 was 5 $6 y UN TED STATES em? i, @rrr a JOSIAH B. GATHRIGHT, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,659, dated August4, 1885.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osmn B. GATHRIGI-IT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticCar- Brakes, of which the following is a specifica tion, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to so improve the ordinary hand-brakedevices that they may be set at will, so as to act in connection withthe automatic devices without impairing or interfering; with their useas hand-brakes at any moment.

It consists in certain simple additions to the hand-brake devices, whichare fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the under side of a car providedwith a system of handbrakes adapted to act upon the wheels of bothtrucks, and having added thereto my improved devices for transformingthem into automatic brakes at will. Fig. 2 represents a modification ofthe same applied to handbrakes adapted to act upon the wheels of onetruck only of a car.

In Fig. l the brakewhcels D and D, brakestems d and d, chains No. 1',lever F, and chains No. 3, with beams H and shoes h, illustrate a kindofhand-brake in common use, which acts upon both trucks, and isoperative from either end of the car. To improve this system so that itwill also work automatically when desired, l inter-pose at some pointbetween the brakewheel 1) and the brakeshoes an elastic part or spring,as shown by G in the drawings, where it forms a part of chain No. l, andI also add to the system chain No. 2, which connects the slidingdraw-bars B B with lever F, as shown. It, now, the hand-brakes are woundup and locked in the usual way, the brake-shoes will press upon thewheels with the usual force; but by reason of the elastic section G thebrake-beam and shoes may be released or forced away from the wheelswithout unwinding or unlocking the brake-stem. It will be seen that thesliding draw-bar B, acting through chain No. 2 upon lever F, performsthis function of relieving the brakeprcssure whenever the draw bar isdrawn out by the usual draft upon it necessary for starting and pullingthe car; also that when the pull upon the draw-bar ceases, as whenstopping the train or going down grades) the elastic force of thewound-up handbrakes will promptly'apply the pressure to the wheelsagain.

It will thus be seen that the ordinary handbrakes are rendered automaticwhen provided with my improvements by simply winding them up and leavingthem locked in that condition. It will be seen, also, that it will notonly act promptly to stop the whole train whenever the engine ceases topull it, because there is no longer draft upon the draw-bars sufficientto hold the brakes off the wheels; but for the same reason it will actpromptly to stop the rear section of a broken train, thus preventingmany bad accidents.

For backing, yard-switching, 8nd, I would simply throw off the brakes(unwind the stems) and use them in the ordinary way. Any device withbrakes of this class which will admit of backing (automatically) will bealmost sure to lead to a failure of the brakes to act atsome criticalmoment. The action of one part of a train upon another is the same whenbacking as when checking up or stopping, and yet an automaticmomentumbrake would have to act in one case, and not act in the other.This gives too much chance for accidents; hence I prefer, as beforesaid, to throw off the brakes for backing under my system. Even then mydevice saves more than half the usual time and labor in backing,switching, 85c. ,ior when a train has been hacked and the brakes havebeen wound up to stop it they need not be thrown oii for startingforward, and will act automatically for stopping the train again.

It is not necessary to point out in detail the application of myimprovementsto the changed conditions, (shown by Fig. 2,) as thedrawings will be easily understood after what has been already saidabove. N or is it necessary to point out how my invention is applicableto any one of the many kinds of hand-brakes in use, for, the principlebeing clearly shown, it only requires a little mechanical skill to adaptmy invention to the different conditions which these diiferent systemspresent. Hence I do not wish to confine myself to the particularmechanisms shown in the drawings, and herein described.

I would remark that the brakemen under my system can wind the brakesmoreor less tightly, according as the cars may be empty or loaded, 850., andmay increase or diminish v the pressure according to the grades to begone over.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An automatic car-brake consisting of an ordinary hand-winding shaft, anda windingchain having aspring portion intermediate Witnesses:

G. W. BRADEN, WALTER WALKER,

